Retort



Mar.6,1923. 1,447,680. r A. C- MICHIE ET AL. v

mom.

1 'YHLED NOV. 12.1319. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1. 1

Mar. 6, 1923.

RETORT.

' HLED NOV. 12, 1919.

A. C. MICHIE ET AL.

' 2- SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

u TE s'rTES PATENT QF ARTHUR CUMMING MICHIE, OF NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, ANDEDMUND GEORGE WEEKS, OF NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TOCHARLES.HESTER- MAN MERZ AND WILLIAM MCL ELLAN, WESTMINSTER, LONDON,ENGLAND.

.BZETORT.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we ARTHUR CUMMING Miorilnand EDM ND (monen \Vnnns, subj ects of the King of England, andresidents, respectively, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, andNorthumberland, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to retorts and thelike, and has for its main object to provide a retort for lowtemperaturedistillation of fuel wherein the fuel may be introduced without creatingdust at the surface. If the fuel is dropped from a hopper into theretort ontothe general upper surface of the fuel already in the retort,and is ofsuch a character as to produce or contain dust, this dust iscarried through to the condensers and by-product plant, which rendersthe recovery of the byproducts diflicult owing to the admixturetherewith of the fine dust, and also difficulty in operation arisesowing to the blocking of pipes and passages in the condensing andby-product plant.

According to the present invention, the retort is provided with one ormore feeding conduits which enter the sides of the retort and delivertheir fuel at a level which is below that intended to be occupied by thesurface of the fuel contained in the retort.-

Preferably the feed-conduit or conduits project into the retort in theform of one or more open troughs which extend from one side towards theother in an approximately horizontal plane, and convenient means, suchas rotating worms or oscillating plungers, are provided for propellingthe fuel along the troughs.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of examplepractical-embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a sectionthrough a preheater and upper portion of a retortwith a worm feed,

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation similar to Figure 1 but showing amodified arrangement, and

Figure 4: is a sectional elevation on the line 4-4: of Figure 3.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, a coal Application filed Novem ber12 1919. Serial No. 337,572.

hopper A discharges onto a perforated travelling conveyor B in apreheating chamber C, having a hot-gas inlet D and a hotgas outlet E,and the preheated coal 'is discharged through a hopper F into twotroughs, whichenter the retort H at one side and extend across towardsthe other side, parallel to one another and in an approxiinatelyhorizontal plane. Each trough G contains a worm J connected with drivingmechanism (shown diagrammatically by its casing K), for feedingthe fuelalong the trough. The outer portion of the troughs llnay be covered in,as shown, to constitute a closed conduit, but that part which lieswithin the retort is open at the top, for all or ,part of its length, sothat the fuel can rise out of the trough andflow over the sides.

In operation, the fuel is fed sufliciently rapidly into the retort sothat it piles up in the troughs and flows over the sides around thesame,so that the troughs remain buried below the surface of the fuel,which fuel will usually be highest above the centre-line of each trough,and will slope away down to a lowest point between the two troughs, andbetween the troughs and those walls of the retort which face the sidesof the troughs.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4:, the parts down to letter Hare substantially the same, but in this modification only one trough Gis shown, and instead of using a worm, the feeding of the coal along thetrough G is effected by a plunger L reciprocated by suitable gearing,such as the eccentric M. It will be seen that the plunger L in its rearposition allows fresh fuel (preheated in the example illustrated) tofall in front of it, and on its forward stroke the plunger pushes thatfuel along the trough G. The plunger may reciprocate, say, 25 times perminute. The operation is similar to that already described.

With feed-apparatus of this kind there is little disturbance of thesurface of the fuel, as the fuel is continuously slowly rising out ofthe troughs and flowing over the sides, the movement being such as notto release any large quantity of dust, and thus this is prevented frombeing carried over to the condensers and by-product plant. The methodsof feeding described have the additional advantage of giving asubstantially continuous feed of fuel into the retort, and

tent methods of feeding.

side of the retort and has its discharge out-' let upwardly directed andwithin the retort at a distance from the side walls, and means forfeeding fuel through said conduit and discharging it below the level ofthe surface of the fuel in the retort, thereby preventing dust frombeing formed and carried over with the distillation products.

V 2. Apparatus for feeding fuel to a distillation retort wherein thefuel is introduced near the top and discharged from the bottom, saidapparatus comprising a feeding conduit which enters through the side ofthe retort and has'its discharge outlet upwardly directed and at adistance from the side walls of the retort, and means for feeding fuelthrough said conduit and discharging it uniformly below the surface ofthe fuel in the retort, thereby preventing the formation of dust andconsequent contamination of the distillation products. i

3. Apparatus. for feeding fuel to a dis tillation retort wherein thefuel is introduced near the top and discharged from the bottom, saidapparatus comprising a feeding conduit which enters through the side ofthe retort and has an upper open side at a distance from the walls ofthe retort, and means for continuously feeding fuel through said conduitand discharging it through said open side uniformly and beneath thesurface of the fuel in the retort, thereby preventing the formation ofdust and consequent contamination of the distillation products.

4. Apparatus for feeding fuel to a distillation retort wherein the fuelis introduced near the top and discharged from the bottom, saidapparatus comprising a feeding conduit which enters through the side ofthe retort and has an upper open side at a dis tance from the walls ofthe retort, and a ro tating worm for continuously feeding'fuel throughsaid conduit and discharging it through said open side uniformly andbeneath the surface of the fuel in the retort thereby preventing theformation of dust and consequent contaminationof the distillationproducts.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. ARTHUR CUMMING MIIGHIE.

. EDMUND GEORGE WEEKS.

WVitnesses: i

EVELYN H. UR UHART,

E. FENWICK;

